Grimm Fairytales AU

Warnings: Abandonment, thoughts of suicide, successful suicide, violence, major character death, food mention, murder, graphic description of dead bodies, and blood

Ship(s): Platonic LAMP

Title: The Man and His Brothers

Once upon a time, there was a lonely, nameless, little boy who had been abandoned by his parents. He lived in the home of a cruel orphan keeper, forced to do housework and other grueling labor to keep food in his belly and a roof over his head. He watched as the other orphan children laughed and played in the school yard, dressed in fine clothes while he worked away in his dirty rags. Every day the boy would tell himself that his family would return and he would be happy again.

When the boy became a man the orphan keeper forced him out of the house to live on the streets. "No one wants to love a nameless boy!" the orphan keeper cackled as the man fell into the mud filled streets. He tossed a small coin purse and an apple for him to eat before slamming the door shut. The man wept.

"Alas, my family has not found me! I must go, and search for them myself!" So the man got to his feet, picked up the small purse and apple, and went on his way. He traveled through the dirt roads of his town until he reached the edge of the forest, which was rumored to be haunted by sprites and spirits of those who had passed. The nameless man looked into the woods with fear, but pressed forward, determined to find his family.

He journeyed on bravely even as night began to fall, clutching the two items in his bag with all his might as the wind whipped and moaned, pushing him back towards where he came. He happened upon a fork in the road, on going to the east and the other going to the west. The nameless man was tired, and hungry, and didn't know where he should be going, so he stopped to rest at the end of the western road and pulled out his apple to eat. An old woman bent over with age approached him, eyeing the apple hungrily.

"What is your name, child?" the old woman asked. The nameless man looked at her with confusion.

"I do not know. I was never given one. Is there something that you need, woman*?" he asked. The old woman smiled kindly and stretched out a wizened hand from beneath her robe, gnarled and thin, gesturing to the other's apple. The nameless man hesitated before placing his one source of nourishment in her hand and watched with sorrow as the old woman ate it happily, eyes shining with joy.

"Thank you, little one. How could I repay such a kind deed?" the old woman asked, squinting at the man. He looked up at her with a sad smile.

"Good woman, what I want is nothing I can be given. I desire to find my family that I have never loved, nor seen. 'twould take a miracle if I were to ever find them," the nameless man said with a wistful sigh. The old woman smiled and shed her robe, suddenly being bathed in a golden light. Away went her old and wizened face, replaced with one of luscious, young beauty. The nameless man looked to the new woman with astonishment.

"Young man, your kindness shall be rewarded. Your family is dead, all but one, your eldest brother. Take the eastern path and you shall find the man with the golden heart. He shall help you find your brother. But hurry, there is evil about that also wishes to take the gold-hearted man," the beauty said, bending down to kiss the forehead of the nameless man. She disappeared, leaving the young man stunned at the roadside. He sprang to his feet, a new valor in his step.

"I must find my brother!" the nameless man cried. And so, he departed on his journey down the eastern path. On his way down the winding dirt road, he came across a tavern merrily lit with laughter coming from within. Cold, hungry, tired, and with a few coins to spend, the nameless man stepped inside, intending to spend it on food and drink.

"Welcome, traveler! Please, have a seat!" the friendly bartender, a bespectacled man clothed in a sky blue tunic, said with a smile. The nameless man sat down, looking about warily at some of the more questionable customers. He pulled out his coin purse and pushed it towards the bartender.

"Whatever food and drink this will buy, please," the nameless man said softly. The bartender took the purse and began counting the coins. It wasn't even enough for a morsel of bread, and from the looks of the man before him, he needed much more than that. Pushing the coins back towards the man the bartender pulled coins from his own purse.

"Dear sir, there's no need for that! If I cannot pay, I shall take my leave!" the nameless man began to protest. Another man in the tavern gave him a smile and gently pressed him back into his seat, watching as the friendly bartender went about to make a meal for the nameless man.

"It's no use protesting. When he was just a babe, Patton was given the gift of a golden heart by the enchantress of the wood. He sees no fault in others, and his kindness is immeasurable. Please, humor him." The nameless man did not know how to reply, one simple phrase ringing clear in his mind. Could it be? As the bartender called Patton passed him by he grabbed his wrist in earnest.

"Sir, I apologize if I speak out of turn, but I have reason to believe an enchantress has sent me here to seek your help," the man said, dark eyes wide and earnest. Patton immediately turned to the man.

"Why, how odd! I was visited by an enchantress just last night in a dream, telling me to watch for the man without a name who would help me find the brothers I was separated from at birth," Patton remarked. The nameless man excitedly gripped the man's wrist tighter.

"That is I, the man with no name! Please, sir, say that you will accompany me on my journey to find my brother! Perhaps we shall find them together!" The man with the golden heart happily obliged.

"Of course I will help you find your brother! But first, a name must be given to you. I must have something to call you as we travel on together," Patton cried, appalled at the thought of calling his companion man or sir. And so, the nameless man was called Virgil from then on.The two departed from the tavern the next morning, sacks filled with as much food and money as they could carry, continuing down the eastern path.

"The Enchantress said you would help me find my brother, but you do not know the way?" Virgil said with confusion as his newfound companion confessed that he had no clue what he was doing. As the other brown haired man shook his head, Virgil threw his hands up in the air.

"Then all is lost! Death could seize me now and I would welcome him gladly! I shall never find my brother," Virgil mourned. As soon as Virgil uttered those accursed words, the enchantress appeared in the path, golden hair flowing without any wind.

"Young man, all is not lost. Your family is dead, all but two, your two eldest brothers. Continue down the eastern path and you shall find the scholar with the silver tongue. He shall help both of you find your brothers. But hurry, there is evil about that also wishes to take the silver-tongued scholar," the enchantress cried, warning in her voice, before disappearing. Virgil cried out in delight; he had two brothers!

"We must find our brothers!" the two men cried. And so, they departed on their journey down the eastern path. On their way down the winding dirt road, they came across a school house with dimly lit windows but the smell of a crackling wood stove coming from inside. Cold, hungry, tired, and with nowhere else to stay, Patton and Virgil stepped inside.

"Greetings, travelers. What brings you to my school house at such a late hour?" came the smooth voice of the school teacher, a young bespectacled man wearing a dark blue and black tunic. The two men approached the teacher, bowing in respect.

"Sorry to disturb you sir, but we have traveled long and wish to take shelter in your school house for the night," Virgil said with a shaking voice, wringing his hands nervously and smiling at the school teacher.

"Please, do not call me sir. I am Logan, a mere scholar in these parts. Please, make yourself comfortable," Logan the scholar said, welcoming the travelers into the school house that was also his home. Virgil watched the man suspiciously but Patton immediately thanked the man for his hospitality, settling down on one of the benches and using his sack of food as a blanket. Virgil glanced back at the man, seeing a flash of silver as he smiled at him.

"What was that?" the once nameless man asked the scholar, suspicious of his odd behavior. The scholar sheepishly bowed his head, opening his mouth wide for the other man to see. His tongue was that of a normal person's, but instead of the normal red color, it was silver.

"And enchantress once visited me as a babe and gave me the gift of quick wit and a silver tongue. It has helped me become a teacher, and a scholar," Logan quickly told his guest. Virgil's heart leaped in his chest and he grabbed he scholar by the hands.

"Scholar, I apologize if I speak out of turn, but my companion and I were told by an enchantress that a man with a silver tongue would be able to help us find our brothers!" Virgil said, dark eyes wide and earnest.

"Why, how odd! I was visited by an enchantress just last night in a dream, telling me to watch for a man with the golden heart and a man just recently named who would help me find the brothers I was separated from at birth," Logan remarked. Virgil's grip on his hands tightened with excitement.

"That is us! Patton is the gold-hearted man, and I am the one just recently named! Virgil is my name! Please, scholar, say that you will accompany my companion and me on our journey to find my brothers! Perhaps we shall find them together!" The scholar hesitantly obliged.

"I shall assist you in finding your brothers. But first, we must rest. Our journey will be long and hard ahead of us." And so, the once nameless man, the man with the golden heart, and the scholar with the silver tongue rested on the benches of the school house until the cock crowed the next morning. The scholar took his most prized possessions and books and the three travelers continued down the eastern path. But, the fates seemed to find the travelers in an unlucky spot as they reached the end of the path, which dropped to the edge of the cliff. The youngest traveler, the one once unnamed, fell to his knees and wept.

"All is lost! Death could seize me now and I would welcome him gladly! I shall never find my brother," Virgil mourned. As soon as Virgil uttered those accursed words, the enchantress appeared in the path, golden hair flowing without any wind.

"Young man, all is not lost. Your family is dead, all but three, your three eldest brothers. Continue down the eastern path and you shall find the prince with the iron fist. He shall help the three of you find your brothers. But hurry, there is evil about that also wishes to take the iron-fisted prince," the enchantress cried, warning in her voice, before disappearing. Virgil laughed with joy; he had started with one brother, now he would have three! The travelers watched in amazement as a bridge of gold, silver, iron, and steel stretched across the cliff to the other side.

"We must find our brothers!" the three men cried. And so, they departed on their journey down the eastern path. As they walked across the smooth, winding bridge, they saw a brilliant castle on the other side. The three worn travelers marveled at its splendor as the fanfare of the Royals began to ring and the wide doors opened. A young man with a crown a top his head and wearing a white and red tunic approached them, his fist of iron glinting in the sunlight.

"Brothers! Oh, how long it's been since I saw you last!" the prince cried with joy, embracing the three travelers with enthusiastic glee. Virgil pulled away, as did the others, all three of them looking at the prince suspiciously.

"You cannot be our brother!"

"We are strangers, unknown to one another! Surely we would remember!" The prince listened to the protests of Logan and Virgil with a heavy heart, but was not so easily swayed,

"Please, come in, I, Prince Roman, will show you proof that what I say is true!" Roman said with gusto, gesturing for the three worn travelers to follow him into the castle. Wary of danger, the three men followed. Their eyes filled with wonder as they were escorted through halls of gold, silver, iron, and steel. Virgil clung close to Patton until the small group stopped before a ginormous portrait.

"This was painted after the birth of our littlest brother. Of you, dear one," the prince said with a kind smile, looking at Virgil out of the corner of his eye. Virgil chose to ignore the glance and instead looked at the painting with his two other companions. It depicted a king, a queen, and their four sons. The eldest, about four years old, wore glasses and a sky blue tunic with a golden heart sewn to it. The second eldest, about three years old, wore glasses as well and a black and dark blue tunic, with an open mouthed smile that showed his silver tongue. The third eldest, no more than two, sat on the lap of his mother, his iron fist held high in the air. The youngest brother, a mere babe, was wrapped in a black and purple blanket and held in the arms of his father.

"What an interesting development," Logan mused, his eyes longing as he looked at the picture.

"Do you think it is true? Are we the brothers the Enchantress told each of us to look for?" Patton murmured to himself, his eyes glistening as he stared at the three men who could possibly be his brothers.

"Of course it is true! We are brothers, princes of the eastern castle! When our youngest brother was a mere babe, born just days before, a dark evil crept into the castle and stole the three of you from your beds, wanting to use your gifts for himself. He lost you soon after, having no way to achieve your gifts. I was the only one to stay; the gift of an iron fist is not exactly a glamorous one," Roman exclaimed, slapping his eldest brother on the shoulder. The three men, remembering the words of the Enchantress, embraced Roman and each other, weeping with joy at having found their brothers.

A joyous celebration commenced, all the staff of the castle preparing for the return of the three young princes that had been loved and cherished by all in the kingdom before their untimely kidnapping. Virgil watched as his three brothers danced and made merry with many beautiful women from the castle, smiling and happy that he had found his family at last. But, fate was once again not with the three brothers, and their time together was cut short.

That night as the brothers slept, the dark evil that the Enchantress had warned the three brothers of crept into the house, slaying the guards at their posts and climbing up the winding stairs, a blade of darkness in its gnarled hand. It went into the room of the eldest brother and tore the golden heart from his chest before slicing open his stomach.The eldest brother died soon after. It went into the room of the second eldest brother and cut the silver tongue out of his mouth before slitting his throat. The second eldest brother died soon after. It went into the room of the third eldest brother and chopped the iron fist from his arm before cutting his wrists. The third eldest brother died soon after. It went into the room of the youngest brother and approached him as he slept, looming over him with his bloody knife. It could see no heart of gold, no tongue of silver, no fist of iron, no marvelous gift that could possibly be of any value. So, the dark evil placed the dagger in the room of the third eldest brother and took the items he had stolen from the brothers, and went off into the night, never to be seen again.

Virgil awoke, happy as a lark. He swept out of bed and ran to the room of his eldest brother, knocking on the door. He called his brother by name but got no answer.

"Patton! Brother! Wake up, 'tis morning!" Virgil said happily. Still no answer. Virgil felt his heart swell with fear but he did not feel it. If his brother would not come to the door, then he would have to go in! So, pushing the door open, he stepped inside and immediately screamed in horror. His eldest brother laid slain in his bed, eyes glassy and blood surrounding his person. There was a gaping hole in his chest and flecks of gold scattered through the blood, and his stomach was a mangled mess of innards and flesh spilled about on his covers. The youngest brother cried out in alarm and ran from Patton's room to the room of the second eldest brother. He began to weep as he saw his other brother, pale and lifeless, his tongue torn from his mouth and his head barely attached to his slit throat. His glasses lay broken on the floor beside his bed, his eyes rolled up into his head. Virgil's tears fell faster and he dashed out of Logan's room into Roman's, met once again by a horrific sight. His hand was gone and his wrists were slit, spilling blood across his white and red tunic. Dried tears tracks were on his cheeks to match those of the youngest brother, who collapsed by Roman's bed and cried.

"Oh, what a fool I was to think I could be happy! Death could seize me now and I would welcome him gladly! I shall never be united with the ones I love! It would have been better if I died years ago!" Virgil mourned, cradling the head of the third eldest brother in his arms. He took the dagger from the nightstand and poised it over his heart, hands shaking as he prepared to do the deed.

"Oh happy dagger, end my life so I may be reunited with my brethren. Mine was a poor and foolish existence anyway, wasted away in the orphan house and in the streets! Please, Death, be kind to me, and take me up into your arms!" Virgil cried, plunging the dagger into his heart. He cried in pain and fell against his brother's chest, blood dripping through his fingers and mingling with the other's. And the youngest brother died soon after. The servants came to deliver breakfast to the four young princes and were horrified to see the shape of the bodies of the four princes. The castle went into mourning, the walls going black as if to grieve the death of its masters.

But do not worry, dear reader. The four brothers were indeed reunited with each other and their parents in the heavens, free from the pain and sorrows of life. Sometimes the things of life can only be enjoyed after death.